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Jackson wasn’t happy. The family wasn’t pleased. The team was split. Everyone but Adam and Brock were pissed. The former SEALs were ecstatic because even though they weren’t here, they’d weighed in, saying the exposure would help bring Nina and Caleb out of hiding.
I walked away after talking with Jackson, the family, and the team. Once I was curled up on the window seat in Jackson’s room, I called Glenn back. I tried to back out of the trip.
“Katie, if you do not attend the awards ceremony, the label is threatening legal action because you’ve not fulfilled any of your media engagements and…”
“Excuse me!” I shouted through the phone. “I was abducted and raped while I watched Michelle flay Jackson!”
“But no one knows that, Katie, because the press release you okayed says that you fell down the stairs and broke your hip and shoulder in the fall.”Glenn reminded me.
“Because I didn’t want everyone to know what happened to me!” I cried.
“I get that, Katie. I do. Everyone deserves privacy, but if you wanted the record label to give you a break on this, you should’ve spoken to them personally. And in person.”
“I thought I’d be able to bring myself to go, but now that it’s here, I don’t know if I can be in that crowded space with so many people I don’t know, Glenn.”
“And I understand why, but the label doesn’t, and neither will the fans.”
“Okay, I’ll do my best. That’s all I can promise,” I told him before hanging up.
After all the crap I’d dealt with between the security and stalker issues, being betrayed by my staff, to have the label get so upset that I didn’t want to attend felt like yet another slap in the face. Granted, Glenn was right. I hadn’t been forthcoming. I knew that it would all come out once Caleb and Michelle were caught and brought up on charges. Especially since I wasn’t the first person he’d fixated on and then assaulted. If I was honest, I didn’t know how it hadn’t already gotten leaked to the press. I assumed the Holts had handled things. Gran Dad was scary when he wanted to be.
Jackson walked into our bedroom, sitting opposite me on the window seat. He pulled my feet into his lap and began kneading them. I was thankful for the attention and that he hadn’t asked first. Before Tennessee, Jackson wouldn’t have asked to touch me because he knew I welcomed his touch, always.
Since Tennessee, Jackson had been so hesitant to touch me. It was like living with a different person.
“I’ve gotta go,” I whispered as I watched him stare at my feet as he massaged one, then the other. “Because I didn’t let them in on what happened to us, they aren’t being sympathetic, and Glenn says that at this late a date, they aren’t going to be.”
Jackson moved us around until I was wedged between his thighs, my back to his chest, and his arms around me. This position had been where I felt the safest before Tennessee, and as that feeling washed over me again, I sighed.
He whispered against my temple, “Darlin’, I’m not happy going to this event, but if we have to, we will. As much as I hate to admit it, Adam and Brock are right: the best way to draw them out now that we’re healed up physically is to be seen.”
“But the test results…”
“Liam can give them to us over the phone if we aren’t here. Tammy even said that we need to start getting out more.”
I huffed. “It’s impossible to argue with you when you’re being logical.”
Jackson laughed, swinging our legs around and standing us up. He kissed my head before saying, “I’ll grab our luggage and let the team know we’ll be going to Nashville.”
He walked around me. On a whim, I grabbed his hand, halting him. He turned to me, his brow furrowed. Before I could second guess myself, I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me.
“Kiss me?” I asked, staring into his eyes.
The furrows softened as his dimples showed when he smiled down at me. “With pleasure.”
Even before his lips met mine, my body came alive. I was energized with a desire I hadn’t felt since Jackson and I crawled out of bed at the house in Nashville. That long-lost feeling surged through me. I gasped at the longing I felt swell within me. It had been so long since I felt this. Even the kiss that led to all the mess over a week ago hadn’t been like this. This was electric.
I stepped closer to Jackson, melding our bodies together. While scary a week ago, the feel of his strength and hardness excited me today. My body buzzed excitedly, fueling the desire that had already taken root. I needed closer. I wanted more.
As the air in my lungs dwindled to nothingness, Jackson pulled away. “Jesus, sugar, you’re going to be the death of me,” he groaned into my mouth, resting his forehead against mine.
After a few quick, deep inhales, I went back to his mouth. I was disappointed when Jackson moved his beautiful mouth out of my reach. He placed a finger on my lips, “I don’t wanna scare you again.”
I didn’t know if it was due to all the trauma or being pregnant, but my eyes teared up. “Jackson…”
“Don’t cry. Please,” he begged. His own eyes welled up. “It makes me want to rip shit to shreds.”
I giggled, causing a couple of teardrops to fall. I quickly dashed them away. “I’m sorry, Jackson.”
